Most people go years without using their garage or they simply use it as a storage unit – not seeing the full potential of the space. However, if you work from home or run your own business, you can turn you garage into a home office in a few steps.

How to Create a Home Office

Because I use my garage and live in hot, humid Florida, I won’t be converting mine into an office… but as I work more from home, I will take these tips from Lance Jensen to better my home office (or corner in the family room.)

Get Creative

To allow your garage to a full office turnaround, look into changing your garage floors to something more appealing than your normal rusty and soiled garage floors. For instance, Global Garage Flooring and Design has a solid system that is designed to provide a seamless solid color finish to any concrete surface and a Concrete Dye system that incorporates high quality concrete dyes. Also, look into giving your garage a fresh, clean look by painting it in light colors or applying a quick coat paint on your garage’s door to create a professional look, and to welcome employees, colleagues, and clients.

Create Open Space

Anyone can spot those Halloween and Christmas decorations that you use once a year, or items that you cannot fit inside of your closets, basement, or attic. Please make room for your essential office tools by clearing up the unnecessary clutter. Creating and managing the extra space yourself gives a personalized feeling while working in your new home office that you won’t even feel like your office used to be a garage. Look into getting rubber totes are perfect for storing anything.

Temperature

If you’re going to use your garage as your home office for a long time, you may want to put efforts in to wiring your home to enable the temperature of your garage, and even your driveway, to perfectly match that of the rest of your home. You do not want an office that is TOO COLD in the WINTER and/or TOO HOT in the SUMMER.

Lighting

This is always overlooked, but a dark or dim garage can cause you to be counterproductive. With the right lighting, you will be able to handle your business accordingly, and you will remain alert and professional.

Viewing is Everything

Please try to incorporate great landscaping around your garage to provide a desirable connection from the street to your office.

Keep Costs Down

Things such as wireless internet, HVAC, insulation, walls, built-in cabinetry, lighting fixtures, and furniture can get costly rather quickly – please make sure to keep an eye on your pockets.